CamdenJim
Shohin
Good people, I solicit suggestions as to where this path should lead. I bought this a couple of weeks ago from a former club member who is now dispersing his collection. Chinese elm, indeterminate years old, 24" from pot-top to twig-top. I know I'll put it in a wider, flatter pot next spring, but I think I need to decide what the tree should look like in addition to having new shoes.
The previous owner admitted to wishing he had taken a different direction with the tree years ago, but somehow it "spoke to me" as it is. But I'm not sure where to go next. A true flat top (as I understand it) won't work, will it? That just doesn't make sense at all to my inner eye.
I think the easiest thing to do is start working toward a "Pierneef" style. (I had to look that one up.) It's already rounded on top, so that should work OK.
I a real flat-top acacia style has a lot of appeal, in my mind at least, but I'm not sure about that as a sustainable form. However - I like it better that the round-top Pierneef shape it resembles now. -- I think so today, anyway.
My real fear is that I'll end up with a potentially nice tree that looks like the "light bulb" shape I see too often in poorly cared for landscapes. That's just ugly.
So the floor is open. Suggestions? A radical chop to about 8" and regrowing the top completely? I'm willing to consider all sorts of options.
The previous owner admitted to wishing he had taken a different direction with the tree years ago, but somehow it "spoke to me" as it is. But I'm not sure where to go next. A true flat top (as I understand it) won't work, will it? That just doesn't make sense at all to my inner eye.
I think the easiest thing to do is start working toward a "Pierneef" style. (I had to look that one up.) It's already rounded on top, so that should work OK.
I a real flat-top acacia style has a lot of appeal, in my mind at least, but I'm not sure about that as a sustainable form. However - I like it better that the round-top Pierneef shape it resembles now. -- I think so today, anyway.
My real fear is that I'll end up with a potentially nice tree that looks like the "light bulb" shape I see too often in poorly cared for landscapes. That's just ugly.
So the floor is open. Suggestions? A radical chop to about 8" and regrowing the top completely? I'm willing to consider all sorts of options.
